Unburdening Atlas
by Taliya
Summary: Winter is a season of holidays, festivities, and acts of thoughtfulness and kindness. Kaitou KID and Edogawa Conan are forced by their individual situations to keep secrets—and as a result are both tired and lonely. Winter is a season of giving, and that includes trust. Written for Poirot Café's Prompt Exchange #2. Merry Christmas!


Detective Conan and Magic Kaito characters, settings, and ideas do not belong to me but to Aoyama Gōshō.

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Unburdening Atlas

By Taliya

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Prompt: Kaitou KID and Conan revealing their identities to one another on a moonlit Christmas heist. Maybe include sad, sarcastic, and happy elements and tones throughout the heist/reveal.

Word Count: 500

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"What bothers you this Eve, Tantei-kun?" the white-clad thief asked upon hearing his youngest critic approach from behind. Kaitou KID slipped the sizeable watermelon tourmaline into his breast pocket after a moon check failed to reveal Pandora within its depths and turned on his heel to regard his new rooftop companion.

Kaitou KID, who in reality was twenty-one-year-old Kuroba Kaito, watched eleven-year-old Edogawa Conan warily for an appearance of his stun-gun watch, ready to dodge—yet he was too curious about the detective's gloominess to leave, which he noticed despite the boy's best efforts to hide it. The two had, for five years running, been locked in a stalemate of wit, endurance, and ingenuity, with KID seeking to steal gems and Edogawa striving to stop him. It was a game both of them enjoyed immensely—Kaito for the absolute challenge the sleuth provided, and Edogawa for the excitement KID provided with a distinct lack of corpses.

The detective turned brilliant blue eyes up at him, eyes that while sharp, cunning and resourceful, contained a sea of pain and loneliness. Said eyes laughed as the boy fully took in the phantom thief's attire for the night. "Did you frisk a Christmas tree on your way here?" he asked, voice tinged with amusement.

KID chuckled, acknowledging the jab. A string of sparkly blue tinsel entwined with white fairy lights wrapped around his hat and covered the cobalt band, and another string of fake pine needles hung in a braided, even loop around his neck, decorated with more white fairy lights and small spherical ornaments in silver, red, and blue. The fake needles had shed a bit, leaving the normally pristine Kaitou KID sprinkled with thin stripes of evergreen all over. But he failed to answer the detective's question, instead repeating his own from earlier.

The light of amusement died in the boy's eyes, and he sighed, stepping next to the thief to overlook Tokyo as he asked, "Do you ever feel lonely because of a secret that could kill those you love?"

The thief swiveled to take in the vista in thoughtful silence. "I do," he finally replied.

"Does the loneliness ever go away?" There was weariness in the young voice that KID had never heard before, and his heart squeezed in sympathy.

"You get used to it, but you still feel it," he answered, knowing it was not what the youth wanted to hear.

Edogawa closed his eyes. "I'm so _tired_ of hiding."

The thief came to a decision. "Then we'll keep each other's secrets," he declared softly, and Edogawa's gaze snapped onto him as he regarded his rival-turned-friend. There was confusion in the boy's eyes. KID shucked his bedecked top hat and removed the monocle before bowing grandiosely. "Kuroba Kaito, at your service."

Edogawa stood, stunned, before a watery smile appeared on his face. With a clearly unpracticed bow meant to imitate Kaito's graceful gesture, the detective straightened and replied, "Kudou Shinichi. The pleasure is all mine—and… _thank you_."

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Author Note: So this turned out to be a comparatively WAFF-y fic. It's a 180 from a couple of other fics I've been working on as of late, which include a _lot_ of angst/self-recrimination, pain/agony, and/or violence/blood (what is my brain doing these days?!). In this fic, I'm assuming complete canon, no movies—which means it is unclear if Kaito ever discovered Shinichi's identity. Christmas, while celebrated in Japan, is not celebrated in the same way it is in the Western world—it is not a national holiday, for one. Christmas—Eve in particular—is more of a couple's holiday, similar to Valentine's Day—and therefore one of the reasons Shinichi was so morose. But it is still a season of spreading happiness, and isn't that what Kaitou KID is all about (besides stealing gems, of course)? The title is in reference to the Greek Titan Atlas, who was condemned to hold up the Heavens on his shoulders for eternity. I hope you enjoyed it.

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Completed: 14.12.2015


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